Children

In January BMRSG committee members Julie and Brendan hosted a very successful visit to Blackheath by six refugee children – three Tamil girls, and three boys from Iran, all of whom had come to Australia as unaccompanied minors. The visit was organised through Marist Youth, who arranged for the children to be transported to theRead more

Seeing children laugh and squeal with delight is like music to our ears. So then why do so many of our asylum seeker children never get the opportunity to learn to swim? The main reason is cost.
BMRSG is supporting a group of 20 children in a learn to swim program. They have just completed their 3rd lesson of 10.

It costs $14.50 per lesson per child and we have 20 children in the programme. We also needed goggles, swimming caps and needed to supply 5 pairs of swimmers.
Find out how you can support this program.Read more

“You should have seen her. as she left to start the new school year at Lidcome Public, “said Noeline from Katoomba. “She was so excited and proud of her new uniform. It meant so much to her to have brand new clothes and new shiny shoes. She can’t stop looking at her shoes.” This isRead more

The Australian Human Rights Commission has just released their report on The Forgotten Children: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention (2014). This is a “must read” report for anyone interested in the rights of asylum seeker children. Click on the image on the left and follow the links to read or download this report. Read more

Crikey.com.au DIANA HODGETTS Crikey intern If you were to pick a year to seek asylum in Australia, it probably wouldn’t be 2014. You’d be better advised to go back to the ’80s. Since 1989, Australia has made it progressively harder to enter on humanitarian grounds.Read more

Jeff Sparrow, theguardian.com, Monday 18 November 2013 09.06 AEST Hannah Arendt provides a useful framework to think about the extraordinary statement about torture made by Tony Abbott during his visit to Sri Lanka. Tony Abbott visits the Sri Lanka Navy vessel in Sri Lanka. Australia will expand cooperation between their navies to crack down on people smuggling. Photograph:Read more